Escaping the doldrums of the IRS, Richard Mead began cooking in California, and the world was better for it.

Despite the catering jobs that funded Richard Mead's classes at Ohio's Wesleyan College, upon graduation, he became a paper-pusher for the IRS. Understandably, Mead wasn't very happy with the position and dreamed of a better life, even studying cookbooks at night after work.

A move to Mammoth, CA, proved just the shake-up Mead needed. To fund his skiing hobby, Mead turned to catering and cooking once more, and it wasn't long until he realized this was what he was meant to do.

More From Delish

When offered the chance to move into the restaurant biz, Mead jumped at the chance, and was soon working on the menu and concept for Stanley's, a restaurant in Sherman Oaks, CA. As executive chef and kitchen manager, he then helped open another Stanley's three years later.

Ready to forge out on his own, chef Mead opened Santa Monica's 17th Street Café in 1989. A regular watering hole and hangout for celebrities, the restaurant garnered its own amount of fame thanks to innovative dishes and fresh ingredients.

Nearly a decade later, Mead was ready for a larger challenge and sold his portion of the 17th Street Café. With the money, he opened Sage, a smaller restaurant where he focused his energies on further developing his cooking style. Despite its strip mall location, rave reviews soon followed, from the local OC Weekly proclaiming Sage "impeccable fine-dining" to the ubiquitous Zagat Guide's declaration of "culinary paradise."

A second location, the more upscale Sage on the Coast, opened in 2004. When researching locations for both restaurants, access to farmers' markets and local ingredients was an important consideration in Mead's decision-making process.